Did you change anything in the Google spreadsheet? If so, what? Has your view of the schools you chose to research changed from the first week you looked at them? If so, how?
I changed the first school that I looked at, Georgia Virtual Schools, from "high" to "low" interactivity. I think initially that we had it under high because GAVS offers multiple tools that allow for student interaction. These tools included discussion boards, blogs, journals and email. However, it isn't clear how these tools are actually utilized. It seems from the description of GAVS that students work independently (self-paced) on their coursework so they wouldn't really need to use any of the tools. Most students do take GAVS courses during the schoolday which means that many students might be not only enrolled in the same course they might even be taking it at the same time in the computer lab. In this situation, I think an online teacher could have students use one or more of the tools but again, it does seem like GAVS is primarily an independent, self-study course.
It is a little deceptive to have the student-student tools available but not mention this interaction component. I think GAVS does this because they know parents are worried that their children will be learning in isolation in the online environment. Those tools probably represent a safety net. Parents who look through the demo will see these tools and hopefully, their minds will be put at ease.
I also looked at Georgia Connections Academy. Its website was pretty clear -- they really support individualized learning. There aren't any tools for student-student interaction. All interactions are strictly with the learning coach (the parent) and the instructor.
I changed the first school that I looked at, Georgia Virtual Schools, from "high" to "low" interactivity. I think initially that we had it under high because GAVS offers multiple tools that allow for student interaction. These tools included discussion boards, blogs, journals and email. However, it isn't clear how these tools are actually utilized. It seems from the description of GAVS that students work independently (self-paced) on their coursework so they wouldn't really need to use any of the tools. Most students do take GAVS courses during the schoolday which means that many students might be not only enrolled in the same course they might even be taking it at the same time in the computer lab. In this situation, I think an online teacher could have students use one or more of the tools but again, it does seem like GAVS is primarily an independent, self-study course.
It is a little deceptive to have the student-student tools available but not mention this interaction component. I think GAVS does this because they know parents are worried that their children will be learning in isolation in the online environment. Those tools probably represent a safety net. Parents who look through the demo will see these tools and hopefully, their minds will be put at ease.
I also looked at Georgia Connections Academy. Its website was pretty clear -- they really support individualized learning. There aren't any tools for student-student interaction. All interactions are strictly with the learning coach (the parent) and the instructor.
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